A Method To His Madness
by J.R.R. Not-Tolkien
Summary: When Jay is diagnosed with a chronic disease and taken away to a sanitarium for treatment, Cole suspects that the doctor involved may have more than a watch up his sleeve. . . (Note: kinda scary, rated T for a reason) *MINOR SPOILERS FOR HANDS OF TIME*
1. The Friend Zone

**Hey guys! Gosh, sorry I haven't been on FanFiction lately; I've just been busy working on stories** ― **both old ones and new ones** ― **but I haven't been feeling inspired to update anything. (That, and I haven't finished anything for anything old XD)**

 **I've just thought of something** ― **even though I've been off for part of this time, my account's existed for a little over a year and a half. Huh.**

 **So. How've y'all been? Just finished watching _The Lord of the Rings_ movies. I think they might have just boosted up into the Top 5 favorite movies for me! And I sent in my audition to Focus on the Family's Adventures in Odyssey _Get In the Show_ contest** ― **I'm so nervous about how it turned out! *bites fingernails anxiously***

 **Whoops, I just found out about the new _DuckTales_ reboot premiering in August, so I've been watching stuff about that for the past fifteen minutes XD Does anybody else find that relevant? Here's something to pique your interest: David Tennant plays one of the main characters :)**

 **Anyway, I just wanted to write something a little out of my comfort zone and see how I can do writing slightly scarier stories. Since I don't want to give much away, I'll let the progression of the story explain for itself. But be warned** ― **this is one of my darker brainchildren, somewhere along the lines of _Jaws of Fear_ , except maybe a little more intense.**

 **So . . . on with the show!**

 **Whoops, forgot to mention** ― **mild spoilers for _Hands of Time_! Sorry! (The cover image is temporary** ― **I actually drew a cover for this, but it gives away stuff that happens later; I'm gonna work on another one that won't give stuff away** ― **maybe)**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Friend Zone**

 **Time: afternoonish**

 **Place: the Temple of Airjitzu**

Cole wiped the perspiration from his brow. "There, Nya―it's done. Are you satisfied now?"

The Water Ninja folded her arms across her chest skeptically. "Not until you taste it and tell me it tastes like it should," she said, her thin dark brows knitting into a slight scowl.

Cole looked at her reproachfully. "Seriously, Nya―you've been watching me like a hawk the entire time I was preparing this, and you saw for yourself that I didn't add anything or change the recipe in any form. Geez Louise, it's just Lipton Noodle Soup."

"I know that, but I don't want you giving my boyfriend food poisoning when he's already got this cold," Nya retorted, voice crisper than a fresh lettuce leaf.

Cole rolled his eyes, slightly irritated. "Cheez whiz, you're paranoid―and even more protective of Jay than Kai used to be of you. If you're so worried, _you_ taste it!"

"All right, fine," Nya relented, still not convinced of Cole's culinary innocence. "I _will_ taste it―if I relied on your word, you'd probably say it was fine even if it tasted like rotten brussels sprouts."

"Okay―now that was a _real_ insult to my intelligence― _and_ my cooking ability." Fishing a spoon from the silverware drawer, the Earth Ninja practically thrust it into his female teammate's hands before watching, arms crossed and foot tapping, as Nya tentatively dipped the utensil into the soup pot and blew on the clear yellow liquid.

"Smells normal," she conceded, blowing delicately on it again before tipping the spoon's contents into her mouth. "And . . . it tastes normal, too." She looked slightly rueful. "I'm sorry I doubted you, Cole."

"Apology accepted. I suppose _now_ you believe Zane saying that it's not I'm a bad cook, I just have a thing for weird recipes." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I'm starting to dislike most of the weird things I used to make myself, although violetberry soup is actually good―when prepared correctly."

Nya laughed a little. "Maybe I'll try it." Then, she sighed. "Gosh, Cole, I don't know what's gotten into me. I've never been this concerned about a guy before."

Cole chuckled. "You finally realized that you loved Jay, and you're trying to start over―you're probably just worried that you might lose him again." By this point in time, the Ninja had been informed of their battle with Nadakhan and the Sky Pirates, which made things dramatically clearer about Nya's choice of Jay as her boyfriend. "If I went through what you two did with _my_ better half, I'd be worried and protective of her too."

Nya looked at him questioningly. "Cole, have you ever considered having a girlfriend in your future? I mean, Jay and I are together, Kai and Skylor are reconnecting, and I'm pretty sure Zane and Pixal can be classified as boyfriend and girlfriend by now―even though Pixal's nowhere to be found. You and Lloyd are the only two left without relationships like that."

Cole shrugged again. "Now that I'm human again, I've been thinking about it. I'd like to meet some girl I could date and hopefully marry, but I just haven't found her yet. I guess all I can do for now is wait―and hope that someday soon that Mrs. Right will come along."

"Well, maybe you should try taking a little initiative with the ladies," Nya suggested. "Tall, dark, and handsome strong-boys like you shouldn't find it hard to get a date."

"Don't you start flattering me now," Cole grinned a little roguishly, making Nya laugh, "or I just might start chasing _you_ again, water lily."

Nya pretended to look scandalized. "How _dare_ you, Mr. Brookstone! If you so much as lay a hand on me, I'll blast you so full of water we could rent you out as a garden hose!"

Cole faked despair, dramatically pressing the back of his hand to his forehead. "Ah, spurned again by the lovely water lily! Alas and alack, my heart shall never be mended!"

"Hey now, Jay's the thespian of the group," Nya broke character, laughing as Cole pretended to fall dead to the kitchen floor.

"Hey, I practically grew up on Shakespearean backlots and Rodgers and Hammerstein scaffolds―I've got more right than he does to act the ham." He tried to stand back up, but landed on his back again. "Speaking of Jay, I can't feed your sick boyfriend unless I get off the floor. Give me a hand up, would you, honey?"

"Jay would murder you if he caught you calling me that," Nya laughed, pulling the Earth Ninja to his feet and playfully dusting him off.

"It's purely in brotherly affection, m'dear," Cole smiled, brushing her hand away before ladling the now pleasantly warm soup into a bowl on a wooden tray. "Do me a favor and get that packet of Saltines from the starch cupboard, please?"

"Oh, I'm always a sucker for polite boys," Nya grinned, ducking into the cupboard and popping back out with a Saltine package in her hand. "Catch!"

"Whoops!" Cole caught the packet before it could fall into the soup bowl. "Didn't need to make a basket on that free throw, Nys."

"Sorry." Nya smiled embarrassedly. "Welp, I'd come up to Jay's room with you, but I promised my parents I'd spar with them this afternoon and they're probably wondering where I am."

Cole slapped himself in the forehead. "That reminds me―if you bump into Zane on your way over, tell him I'll be on the _Bounty_ in about an hour―I'm giving him a hand with the repairs to the temporal scanners, since Jay's out of commission for the time being."

"Will do. Catch you later." Giving Cole a sisterly peck on the cheek, Nya exited the kitchen.

As Cole busied himself preparing the lunch tray for his sick friend, the memory of his conversation with Nya about his future romance life repeated in his head. _Well, maybe you should try taking a little initiative with the ladies_ , Nya's suggestion came back to him. _Tall, dark, and handsome strong-boys like you shouldn't find it hard to get a date_.

Cole was fully aware of the fangirls who dreamed of being his girlfriend on some enchanted evening, but he wasn't interested in them. As soon as someone else tall, dark, and handsome came along, he'd be nothing more than a passing fad, just another celebrity gone down the tubes of human fancy.

Deep down inside, Cole longed for a soulmate―some special girl who would stay with him forever―through popularity and irrelevance, blessing and trial, wealth or poverty. _In the end, though_ , Cole thought, balancing the tray with the soup, Saltines, and a fresh pot of tea on one hand before leaving the kitchen, _it all boils down to a gal who could stay with me for better or for worse. I don't know if I can find anyone like that_ ― _at least not yet._

* * *

Precariously balancing the tray on his knee, Cole knocked softly on Jay's door. "Jay, buddy, are you awake?" he called quietly. While he waited for an answer, he picked up the bucket of medical supplies located conveniently in front of the door and hung it from his elbow.

"Yeah," came the Lightning Ninja's feeble reply. "C'mon in." This was followed by a loud sneeze that sounded like a thunderclap.

Twisting the doorknob and quickly putting his foot in the doorway while he regathered the tray in his arms, Cole walked into Jay's bedroom. The teenage Elemental Master was propped up in bed, his royal blue eyes huge and dark in his pale face. He managed a tired little smile at Cole before blowing his scarlet-tinted nose into a Kleenex. "Hey, Cole," he said, struggling to sit up.

"Did I wake you up?" Cole asked worriedly, hesitating in the doorway.

"Naw, I woke up about ten minutes ago. It felt like ages, though." He blew his nose again, with a sickly little _honk_. "Gosh, am I glad to see you. I haven't been able to talk to or see anyone for hours. The one thing I don't like about TV is that you can't talk back to it."

Cole smiled, glad that he'd made his younger friend happy. "I'd be glad to talk to you, but first, you've got to eat something."

"I _am_ a little hungry," Jay admitted. "Especially since you went out of your way to make something for me."

"If it's for my favorite little brother, it's no problem at all," said Cole, carefully resting the tray on Jay's lap and pouring some of tea into a glass on Jay's nightstand. "How's the Elemental reactions?"

"Apart from my coughing frying my throat for a couple hours and my thunderclap sneezes, I'm fine," Jay replied, taking a spoonful of soup and drinking it. "Gosh, that feels good. My throat feels like sandpaper right now."

"I'm grateful Ray remembered Vengestone Tea, otherwise you'd cause a power outage every time you sneezed," Cole involuntarily sighed with relief. "I guess that must be the stuff Sensei Wu was giving us when we got sick before―I always wondered why I never destroyed the _Bounty_ when I got those earthquake coughs."

"And that explains why we couldn't ever do Spinjitzu or use our powers for about a week afterwards," added Jay, taking another bite of soup. "Thanks for making this for me, Cole; that was really nice of you, especially when you've probably got better things to do than taking care of me."

"I can't think of anything better right now―well, except maybe finding Sensei." Cole's thick eyebrows knitted into a worried scowl, his green scar more visible under his bangs. "Do you think we'll find him?"

"I think so," said Jay. "Sensei's a tough old bird―he can't be beat so easily. I know he's out there fighting Krux and Acronix and giving them a good old fashioned whupping, as my dad would say." He frowned. "Correction, my _adopted_ dad. I don't know what my real dad would say."

Cole glanced at Jay. "Did you find anything out about your parents?"

"A little, from Ray and Maya―they knew my mom. Her name was Claire. They showed me a painting of her and my dad on their wedding day." He sighed wistfully. "She was so beautiful . . . blonde hair, blue eyes. Although Maya told me that she dyed her hair blonde―naturally she had hair like mine. They said she talked a lot, made a lot of jokes, didn't seem to take things seriously―but that was just a smokescreen. She made more breakthroughs with her Elemental powers than any other Elemental Master before or since, Ray said."

"Sounds like you, all right," Cole grinned. "I'm sure you'll find her, Jay."

"I'm not sure I want to." Jay hung his head, and he looked even more tired. "I don't really want to know why my parents decided to get rid of me."

Cole gently placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jay―"

Before he could continue, there was a quiet rapping on the door. "Jay?"

"Come in!" Jay called.

Zane tentatively peeked into the room. "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, you're good," said Jay, sitting up straighter. "What's up, Zane?"

"We have a visitor―and he wants to see you."

* * *

 **Aw, I actually had a lot of fun writing the scene between Cole and Nya. I admit it** ― **I think Cole and Nya would be best buddies.**

 **Sidenote: in this story, which is not a part of my main official timeline, Cole is twenty-one, Jay is nineteen, and Nya is eighteen.**

 **And note, Jay's mom isn't officially named Claire, that's just my name for her** ― **no spoilers there :)**

 **And I'm curious** ― **who wants to see Jay? Guess you'll have to find out in the next installment of _A Method to His Madness_! Bye y'all!**

 **-Titanium Jayde**


	2. Sneezings, Nothing More Than Sneezings

**What up, my homies?! ThankyouthankyouTHANKYOU for your comments, faves, and follows - your support really means a lot to me! :D**

 **Loki God of Evil: Yah, it's pretty serious. If . . . well, you'll just have to wait and see.**

 **FanOfJay: I hope so! :D And you'll find out who it is pretty darn soon! XD**

 **FropessionalWriter: Thank you so much! It really means a lot to me to hear you say that :D I love Cole and Jay friendship scenes too** ― **what I hate is when people take it too far XP And what can I say** ― **I've got a flair for obscure details XD**

 **JayandNya4evr: Thank you! And I prefer a one-year age difference between Kai and Nya too, but for authenticity's sake, I keep them at a two-year distance. *shrugs***

 **Mnemonic: Ah . . . I'll have to get back to you on that**

 **Anyway, I hope you like this next installment of _A Method to His Madness_! [Oh, has anyone caught the reference I made in the title? A free one-shot (no yaoi or yuri or M-rated stuff) to the ones to guess! :D]**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Sneezings, Nothing More than Sneezings**

 _About ten minutes earlier. . ._

"―ninety-six, ninety-seven, ninety-eight―" Zane counted his one-handed push-ups between breaths "―ninety-nine, one-hundred!" With a gasp, the Nindroid keeled over into a heap of exhausted titanium. "I believe that is enough for today, otherwise I will not be able to perform the repairs needed on the _Bounty_."

Lying on his back, Zane gazed up into the afternoon sky. Flocks of fluffy white clouds pranced about the peaceful celestial pasture, a cooling breeze speeding them along their way. _My word,_ _ **that**_ _was poetic_ , Zane thought shaking his head at his own mental metaphor.

Glancing first to his right, then to his left, Zane, upon seeing that no one else was around, pushed himself up on his elbows and bent his knees, arching his back not unlike a gymnast. He sighed with pleasure as his sore synthetic muscles stretched, then as he lay flat on the ground again, relaxed.

"You are more flexible than I would have first guessed, my Nindroid friend."

Zane jumped to his feet, face flushed bright white with something he guessed might be embarrassment. His shurikens materialized in his hands, and he was poised to throw them at the stranger standing about a foot away from him.

The man smiled, raising his hands in a signal of surrender. "Do not worry, I mean you no harm. I apologize for startling you." He appeared to be in his mid-thirties, with black hair brushed back on his head. His cheeks were hollowed to reveal the frame of his impressive cheekbones, and he had startling green eyes framed by black-rimmed glasses. His six-foot-tall frame was dressed in a rather understated dull white suit, with a plain black tie and matching loafers, and he carried a black old-fashioned carpet bag in his right hand.

Zane lowered his shurikens, but he still remained on guard. He didn't think this man was as harmless as he appeared to be. "Apology accepted. But I must ask―who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"You don't mince words, do you?" The man's smile faltered just a hair. "As I admire that in a man―or Nindroid, in your case―I will not mince words myself. I am Dr. Mabroskter Rudalac―and I was informed that you have an invalid on the premises, hence my presence."

"Who gave you that information?" Zane's icy-blue narrowed on Dr. Rudalac.

"Oh, only a colleague of mine who was merely concerned about the wellbeing of your young comrade," the doctor replied, spreading his hands in a yielding gesture. "A friend of yours, I believe."

"Allow me to speculate―he's about this tall, slightly overweight, wears a brown jumpsuit and responds to 'Grand Sensei Dareth'?" Zane sighed wearily. "I appreciate your concern, doctor, but Dareth has a tendency to be rather overdramatic and to exaggerate circumstances. My teammate merely has a minor cold―and he's already on the proverbial road to recovery."

"Yes, that's what your friend Mr. Presley told me," Dr. Rudalac nodded, his smile faintly fading. "But due to a recent epidemic that seems to be affecting certain citizens of our island, I took it upon myself to further investigate this information."

"What do you mean when you refer to 'certain citizens', doctor?" asked Zane, still not noticeably perturbed, but distinctly wary of Rudalac.

Rudalac's smile dropped a second shade. "People with your abilities, Mister―Julien, I believe?"

"Just 'Zane' will do, I suppose," the Nindroid answered coldly. "By 'people with your abilities' I assume you're referring to Elementals?"

"Yes―I wasn't entirely sure of the proper term; this whole concept of 'Elementals' is still rather new and surprising to me. But I am a medical doctor, and when a race like yours begins to develop worrisome medical conditions, I am willing to embrace the unknown in order to better benefit my patients. Which is why I called―I wish to examine your ailing comrade in order to either confirm or debunk my suspicions. If I am wrong, then I apologize in advance for intruding. May I see him now?"

Zane did not answer him right away. He considered the situation. On the one hand, Dr. Rudalac may actually have the sincere intent of helping Jay, and could possibly have the means to cure him if it were truly something more serious than what they had thought. On the other hand, however, Zane was alertly aware of something different about Rudalac. There was something about the doctor that made the Titanium Ice Ninja stay on guard, practically balancing on an edge between attacking and remaining poised. In that case, it would be wiser to send him away and have nothing more to do with him.

 _But what if he_ _ **does**_ _have something going on?_ he wondered. _Another answer could be to let him examine Jay, and then we look more closely into who exactly he is later, as we have no way of performing that task now._ This idea seemed to be the best to execute, so Zane finally turned back to Rudalac. "Come with me, then―I'll need to make sure he's awake first."

"Of course, of course," Rudalac smiled benignly.

Still holding onto one of his shurikens, Zane walked up the steps into the Temple, followed closely by Rudalac.

Ray slid the door open. "Oh, Mr. Smith!" Zane was a little surprised to see Kai's father. "I thought you were sparring with Nya."

"My wife took that job over from me," Ray smiled ruefully. "So I went to see where Kai had disappeared off to. Have you―" He noticed Dr. Rudalac standing behind Zane. "Who is this?"

"This is Dr. Rudalac," Zane replied, making a small gesture with his shuriken to the doctor, who inclined his head politely to the Master of Fire. "He's here to examine Jay."

Ray frowned. "I don't recall calling a Dr. Rudalac."

"Oh, I'm here on an independent call, Mr. Smith," Rudalac smiled. "Due to recent bouts of sickness affecting Elementals during the past few weeks, when I heard about your young friend's illness, I would like to examine him to insure that he does not have the same thing I've been seeing in my patients as of late."

"Well, I suppose you could see him," Ray said slowly. "Cole's with him right now, and as I'd prefer for him to get as much rest as possible, I hope this is only a quick check-up."

"Oh, I'll be in and out quicker than you can say 'Jack Robinson'," Rudalac assured him. "It's merely a safety precaution; I doubt he has anything truly major."

Zane frowned. Rudalac's smile seemed a little forced. "Mr. Smith, could you wait down here with the doctor while I inform Jay of his request?"

Ray shrugged. "I suppose so. I just wish I knew where Kai got off to―"

"Oh, he's playing _Fleeting Kampaign_ with Lloyd in the recreational room," Zane called off-handedly over his shoulder as he took the steps up to the living quarters two at a time.

Resigned, the first-generation Master of Fire sighed. "That son of mine is always glued to that video game console. . ." he muttered under his breath.

"Ah, the youth of today," Dr. Rudalac nodded sympathetically.

Zane couldn't repress a smile. _Fathers can be so endearingly old-fashioned_ , he thought. Upon arriving in front of Jay's door, which was royal blue and marked with the Lightning _kanjana_ , Zane knocked a few quick raps. "Jay?"

"Come in!" came Jay's hoarse voice from the other side of the door.

The Nindroid tentatively peeked into the room. Upon seeing Cole sitting next to Jay's bed, he asked, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, you're good," said Jay, sitting up straighter. "What's up, Zane?"

"We have a visitor―and he wants to see you."

Jay frowned. "Could you tell whoever it is to please go away? I'm really tired, and my throat feels like barbed wire."

Quickly closing the door behind him, Zane said, "I would―but the man says he's a doctor, and I get the impression he will not leave until he let him examine you. He's concerned about an epidemic going around that is solely affecting Elemental Masters, and he wants to make sure that you don't have it."

"But your medical scan said I have a cold, and― _AHHHH-CHOO_ ―and your medical scans are always right."

"I know that, and you know that, but Dr. Rudalac―" Cole snorted "What kind of a name is _that?_ " "―insists on having a look at you, if only to confirm or debunk his hypothesis." Zane lowered his voice. "I suggest you play along―there's something peculiar about this doctor, and perhaps we can find out exactly _what_ if we go with what he wants, for a short while at least."

"Hang on a minute, Zane," Cole raised a hand. "I don't like the idea of this Rudalac guy poking and prodding Jay with his medical junk if it's already conclusively proven that Jay has a cold and nothing more serious than that."

Zane sighed. "I don't like it either, but as I've said before, I know he's not going to 'get off our backs', to borrow the vernacular, until he gets what he wants. This is, however, ultimately Jay's decision." He turned to the Lightning Ninja. "What do you think we should do, Jay?"

Jay shrugged. "The sooner we get him off the table, the better, I guess. Let him in."

"He's downstairs with Mr. Smith―do you want me to fetch both of them?"

"Yes, please."

* * *

Within a few minutes, Zane returned to the bedroom with both Ray and the doctor. Upon seeing Jay, Rudalac stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the teenager in bed, with something Cole wasn't entirely comfortable with in his eyes. Upon entering, Zane turned to the doctor and said, "This is Jay Walker-Gordon, doctor. Jay, this is Dr. Rudalac."

Jay smiled weakly. "Hi, doctor. Zane told me that you're quite concerned with my health?"

Dr. Rudalac blinked, then shook his head and smiled back. "Merely a precaution, my dear boy. I'm just looking out for the health of our citizens, especially if my patient happens to be a Ninjagonian hero."

"Shucks, doc, you flatter me," Jay waved off the compliment, but Cole could see a slight flush of pleasure in his cheeks. _Jay really doesn't get enough credit as a hero,_ he thought, moving the lunch tray off Jay's lap and hiding the bucket of medical supplies. _That guy's not putting his oily hands on our medkit, doctor or no. I don't trust him any farther than I can throw him_.

Dr. Rudalac knelt down on the other side of Jay's bed and opened his carpet bag. "Ah yes, let's see about your fever."

As he reached out a hand to press it to Jay's forehead, Ray said quickly, "Ah, doctor―"

But he was a little late. With a yelp of surprise, Rudalac jerked his hand away from Jay's skin, fingers shaking from the sudden shock of electricity emitted from Jay's skin. "I meant to warn you, doctor," Ray said, embarrassed. "Jay has a particularly high electric charge, and it's stronger now that he's sick; his immune system is on overdrive to kill off the cold virus. You'll have to wear gloves if you want to touch him."

"Ah, yes, don't worry about it," Rudalac smiled weakly, taking a pair of thick Latex gloves from his carpet bag and slipping them on. Gingerly, he brushed Jay's bangs aside, and pressed one finger to Jay's forehead. Upon not receiving a shock, he pressed his palm to his forehead. "Hmm. . . this is quite a high temperature. Where is my thermometer―?"

"His temperature is 114℉, doctor," Zane said helpfully. He had taken the liberty of performing a medical scan on Jay while the doctor had been distracted, and now had the results in his sights. "The intense fever is typical for Elemental Masters with Lightning or Fire abilities, due to their natural high body temperature necessary for stabilizing their Element."

"Ah, yes . . . thank you." Rudalac didn't seem to be listening. His hand had slowly moved from Jay's forehead into his hair, and he was absently stroking it, apparently deep in thought. Jay watched the doctor nervously, clearly not comfortable with the strange touch.

Seeing Jay's distress, Cole coughed loudly into his fist. "'Scuse me, doc, but last I checked, Jay wasn't a cat."

"Hm?" Upon seeing where his hand had wandered off to, Rudalac quickly retracted it. "Oh! I'm sincerely sorry, Jay―" for some reason, Zane believed him "―I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. You just remind me of . . ." He trailed off, once more staring off into space. "Well, never mind." Frowning and muttering to himself, Rudalac made a note on a clipboard which he had taken from his bag. "Just someone from my past, that's all. Now, I'll need to take a blood sample―for analysis, you know." He looked up at Ray. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Jay's legally an adult―he can make the decision himself," Ray responded, slightly curt.

Jay swallowed nervously. "I'm not a huge fan of needles . . . but if it'll help with the examination, I guess so. Cole, could you give me that blanket?"

"Sure," Cole handed it to him, "but why do you need it?"

"If I bite it when he'll doing the―thing, it stops me from―reacting," Jay responded, twisting the blanket into a rope and biting down on it. He gave Rudalac a hesitant thumbs'-up. The doctor rolled up Jay's pajama sleeve, then took an empty syringe from his bag.

"Don't worry, my boy, this will be quick." Jay shut his eyes and bit down hard as the needle penetrated the skin on his arm. And just as quickly as it had gone in, the syringe came out, the tube filled with bright red blood. Carefully placing the syringe into a plastic bag, Rudalac adhered a Band-Aid to Jay's arm before making another note on his clipboard. " _Hm. . ._ I'm a little more than concerned about your condition, Jay. Have you been drinking a lot of water lately?"

"I can't―Lightning and water don't really mix as a rule, but when I get sick, it's even worse. I eat a lot of food with high water content though." Jay looked nervously at the doctor, whose frown deepened as his pen scratched across the paper again.

"I see. Well, just a couple more procedures, including the results of your blood test, and I'll know for certain."

* * *

By 'a couple more procedures', Rudalac meant checking Jay's eyes, ears, and mouth; testing his reflexes (something he regretted as soon as Jay's foot connected with his face); and checking his blood pressure. As each examination was completed, Rudalac's frown kept deepening, and he was constantly scribbling notes on his clipboard.

Finally, after reading over his notes for the third time, he turned gravely to the watching and waiting Elementals. "I'm sorry, but all my notes point to Jay having the virus going around. Now, while my knowledge of the disease is admittedly scant, I know enough to tell you that it's chronic―without the proper treatment, Jay could die."

Zane scowled. _Something was definitely wrong_. "Let me see those notes―"

Rudalac held his clipboard just out of Zane's reach. "But I have happened to develop a method that seems to be working wonders on my patients suffering from the same malady―only a few weeks at my sanitarium should put him at rights."

"Isn't 'sanitarium' a fancy word for 'insane asylum'?" Cole frowned.

"Yes, and no. 'Sanitarium' is also a dated term for a place where patients suffering or recovering from a chronic illness go for medical treatment, similar to a modern day health spa," Ray explained. "I'm assuming that's what you meant when you said 'sanitarium', doctor?"

"Yes, yes―forgive me, I'm a little out of balance with modern linguistics." Rudalac looked embarrassed. "But I assure you that my methods are the most sophisticated and effective treatments you'll find here or anywhere in Ninjago."

"Of that, I have no doubt." Ray's voice was tinted with just a hint of sarcasm. "Well, I believe we'll wait until the results of the blood test until making any final decisions, doctor."

"Of course, of course." Rudalac looked a little disappointed, but he quickly covered it with another smile. "Well, if anything else medically unsettling were to happen to Jay, please do not hesitate to call. Here's my card." Drawing a worn business card from his coat pocket, he handed it to Ray. "Thank you for your time, and I hope to bring good news in the morning."

 _Good news for whom, doctor?_ Zane thought, brow creasing into a frown as he escorted the doctor from the bedroom. _I know you're up to something. And I swear on the bones of the First Spinjitzu Master that we'll find out what._

"Shall I take you back down, doctor?" he asked quietly. One thing that had bothered him about Rudalac was the fact that he had no idea how he had gotten up to the Temple of Airjitzu in the first place.

"No, no, my friend will come to pick me up shortly―I'll just wait behind the Temple. Thank you for offering." Rudalac's tone was clipped.

Zane couldn't help but smile as the doctor stalked off. _He's figured out I'm not the witless tin can my Nindroid brothers are. Keep an eye on yourself, doctor_ ― _I'm watching you._

* * *

Jay took a long gulp of Vengestone Tea, sighing with relief as the black liquid went down his throat. "You didn't believe what he said, did you?" he asked Cole and Ray nervously.

"Not a word of it," Ray said flatly. "I get the feeling he _is_ a medical doctor, but there's something about him I don't trust. He seems too familiar to me―like I've met him before―and he was on the wrong side. But that seems impossible―I would have been fighting his ilk when he would have been ten years old."

"Well, Zane said we should look into him more closely once we've given him what he wants," Cole frowned. "I have a hunch I know what he wants, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to make sure."

* * *

 **Note: _kanjana_** **is my name for Ninjagonian characters (as in writing characters, not character characters, if that makes any sense. It's a combination of the words _hirigana, katakana, and kanji_ , two Japanese syllabaries, and a Chinese form of writing.**

 **And I wonder what it is about ol' Doc Rudalac that Ray, Zane, and Cole don't trust? We'll find out, we'll find out. Stay tuned for Chapter 3 of _A Method to His Madness_!**


End file.
